Healthy Survival Food Choices
Planning a food storage that supports a healthy diet in survival is set up the same way you would choose foods for family meals. Calculating what you want to store starts with the nutritional guide already set forth in the USDA's recommended daily allowances.
Using these outlines build as complete a nutritional supply as possible. The better your planning the healthier your survival meals.
(USDA does not endorse or sponsor this site or any product or service)
Using these outlines build as complete a nutritional supply as possible. The better your planning the healthier your survival meals.
(USDA does not endorse or sponsor this site or any product or service)
Food Storage and The Food Pyramid 1992 USDA Food Guide Pyramid
The previous food Recommendation pyramid from the USDA sorted out the food groups into daily diet suggestions on proteins, grains, vegetables, fruit, and dairy products and fed us appropriate daily portions for each category. USDA Image: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.gif The new My Plate Guidelines
The new My Plate recommends a meal with 30 percent grains, 30 percent vegetables, 20 percent fruits, and 20 percent proteins with a small serving of dairy. My Plate shows the approximate space each food group should take up at meal time.
Free Android Nutritional Apps!
For more information on specific food group see:
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But what IS a serving size?According to the nutritional experts:.
Additional resources: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/downloads/mini_poster_English_final.pdf Nutritional Calculator Links
Use Guides For Food StorageUsing the food groups as a guide to our storage and the items we should collect for long term emergency storage we see that grains followed by fruits and vegetables are our largest supply. Next is the dairy and proteins group.
Set a plan for a length of time you want food stored. Recalculate the amounts recommended for storage slightly so dairy fits in and there is a reasonable balance for proportions in each food group you want to store: *28 percent grains *28 percent vegetables *19 percent fruits *19 percent proteins *6 percent dairy *x percent fats/sugars Better yet dedicate half of your storage to grains and vegetables and split the other half down for fruits, dairy, and proteins. Calculate portions per day per person times goal length. Storage By The NumbersServings needed for a 28 day month for a single person for each of the following food groups:
Grains 6 -11 daily = 308 max. 196 min. Vegetables 3 - 5 daily = 140 max. 84 min. Fruits 2 - 4 daily = 112 max; 56 min. Meats 2 - 3 daily = . 84 max; 56 min. Dairy 2 - 3 daily =84 max; 56 min Split these servings into a variety of choices. |
Home Production
Meals can be created using basic elements.
What can you produce at home?
The items in your pantry or freezer, your garden or foods processed and canned at home should provide good nutritional support and variety. Choose your favorite foods to stock up as well as basic kitchen baking staples.
Being creative enough to use your selections in good tasting meals has no limit if you have stored and prepared the right foods to back up your creativity in your kitchen!
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Store bought canned goods can keep for about 2 years.
Home canned items can be added to recipes giving the meal a fresh food look and taste.
Make seasoned to flavor meals with Spanish, Chinese, Indian, or Down Home Taste!
The items in your pantry or freezer, your garden or foods processed and canned at home should provide good nutritional support and variety. Choose your favorite foods to stock up as well as basic kitchen baking staples.
Being creative enough to use your selections in good tasting meals has no limit if you have stored and prepared the right foods to back up your creativity in your kitchen!
.
Store bought canned goods can keep for about 2 years.
Home canned items can be added to recipes giving the meal a fresh food look and taste.
Make seasoned to flavor meals with Spanish, Chinese, Indian, or Down Home Taste!
Survival Foods In The Freezer
Freezing Foods:
Stock items in the freezer for tossing together great meals in minutes. Vegetables and meats keep for a few months.
You can either preseason or precook and freeze or leave ingredients raw for later cooking.
Pack meats in portions ready to cook so that all you have to do is steam or brown them for adding to the entree or dish. Heat vegetables quickly and presto! You have a gourmet meal out of storage items!
If you have the room, a cabinet style freezer is your best option. Similar to a refrigerator in styling, cabinet freezers are convenient enough to store foods in bins within the unit. Unlike the box freezer it's easy to rotate foods in the manner. You can see what's in front of you on the shelves. Store similar items such as ground beef in portions you would use in cooking and label them with the date they were frozen.
Meat generally keeps for about 6 months. Use freezer bags or plastic containers. For plastic containers, fish or seafood can be kept by covering with water. Fill container to about 1 1/2 inch from the top and cover. The space allows for expansion when the water becomes ice. Thaw and prepare when needed.
Vegetables prepared correctly can keep for about a year in a freezer. Freezing is a great way to keep things such as corn, broccoli, and carrots. Catch corn on sale in the summer. Clean off the husks, break it in half, and boil it for about 10 minutes. Let it cool off and place in bags in freezer. In the cold winter you can have fresh corn on the cob!
Stock items in the freezer for tossing together great meals in minutes. Vegetables and meats keep for a few months.
You can either preseason or precook and freeze or leave ingredients raw for later cooking.
Pack meats in portions ready to cook so that all you have to do is steam or brown them for adding to the entree or dish. Heat vegetables quickly and presto! You have a gourmet meal out of storage items!
If you have the room, a cabinet style freezer is your best option. Similar to a refrigerator in styling, cabinet freezers are convenient enough to store foods in bins within the unit. Unlike the box freezer it's easy to rotate foods in the manner. You can see what's in front of you on the shelves. Store similar items such as ground beef in portions you would use in cooking and label them with the date they were frozen.
Meat generally keeps for about 6 months. Use freezer bags or plastic containers. For plastic containers, fish or seafood can be kept by covering with water. Fill container to about 1 1/2 inch from the top and cover. The space allows for expansion when the water becomes ice. Thaw and prepare when needed.
Vegetables prepared correctly can keep for about a year in a freezer. Freezing is a great way to keep things such as corn, broccoli, and carrots. Catch corn on sale in the summer. Clean off the husks, break it in half, and boil it for about 10 minutes. Let it cool off and place in bags in freezer. In the cold winter you can have fresh corn on the cob!
Dehydrated Foods
The process of dehydrating can be done at home. With a cookie sheet and an oven temperature of about 150 degrees. Fruits such as apples, strawberries, bananas, and varieties of vegetables such as carrots can be ready in a short time. Oven dehydrating is not a very economical way to preserve foods however, oven temperatures need to be stable and if left on for a long length of time can be a hit on your electric bill. Invest in a good dehydrator if you want to preserve foods this way on your own. Dehydrators are great for making your own fruit leathers and jerky.
Better yet, Find your favorites in varieties already packed and ready to go. One draw back about dehydrated foods is the nutritional content is usually considerably less than the whole food in it's natural state. Dehydrating requires heat. Picture if you will a pot of water left on the stove for any length time with the heat on under it. After a while, the water disappears. The same thing applies to the nutritional components in foods that are dehydrated.
Better yet, Find your favorites in varieties already packed and ready to go. One draw back about dehydrated foods is the nutritional content is usually considerably less than the whole food in it's natural state. Dehydrating requires heat. Picture if you will a pot of water left on the stove for any length time with the heat on under it. After a while, the water disappears. The same thing applies to the nutritional components in foods that are dehydrated.
Freeze Dried Foods
Freeze dried foods on the market are easy to use and can be a good choice for your pantry or storage area. Freeze drying preserves most of the nutrients that is naturally found in it. It is the best choice for saving foods long term as they keep well for extended lengths of time in the event power is not available.
Varieties of foods in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and especially proteins mean your family won't have to do with out if you have these items in your reserve.
Using them is simple enough to eat right out of the can as healthy snacks. Other items take a little time and a bit of hot water to
re-hydrate and use in meal preparation.
Varieties of foods in fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and especially proteins mean your family won't have to do with out if you have these items in your reserve.
Using them is simple enough to eat right out of the can as healthy snacks. Other items take a little time and a bit of hot water to
re-hydrate and use in meal preparation.
